Last week I learned about SavvyAuntie.com, a new social network for, you guessed it, aunts. In its short period of existence news about the site has spread quickly, even reaching into mainstream media. Since mine is not a news site, let me reference several for those of you who'd like to know more: Mashable, Center Networks, Huffinton Post and Washington Post (reprint from TechCrunch).
This is not merely a post about Savvy Auntie though. News of this site's launch got me thinking about women in social media, especially those I've met either online or in person, and the impact they're having.
For example, there's Laura Mayes, co-founder of Kirtsy, a sort of Digg for women. She, along with several other savvy ladies got together and, over the course of a weekend, put together the site, formerly known as Sk-rt.
There are women I've known for years: Toby Bloomberg, Jane Genova, Yvonne DiVita, Michelle Miller, Elisa Camahort and Denise Wakeman. These women were pioneers of business blogging, giving it a distinctly feminine flavor.
During my tenure with Blogging Systems I came to know many in real estate: Ines Hegedus-Garcia, Mary McKnight and many others.
More recently, I've had the pleasure of coming to know still others, such as the "ladies of plurkshop," Connie Reece, Amber Naslund and Beth Harte.
Actually, I could fill pages with the women I've come to admire and appreciate for their social media savvy. They are representative of a trend.
"[W]hen it comes to social media, women are at the forefront," said a Business Week article in May entitled The Social Media Gender Gap.
The article reported on a study conducted by Rapleaf of 13.2 million people and how they're using social media. "While the trends indicate both sexes are using social media in huge numbers, our findings show that women far outpace the men," the study said.
The study also predicted that the next wave of innovation will likely "target women more than men." Perhaps sites like Savvy Auntie and Kirtsy are indicative of that trend.
Why are women at the forefront?
Simple. Women are more relationship-driven. "They spend more time on social networks building relationships, communicating with friends, and making new friends," the BW article stated.
The nameless, faceless women referred to in the BW article are users of social media. The women I listed earlier are the movers and shakers, the trendsetters, the ones worth watching. That's what I intend to do too...watch, listen, and learn.
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